Archive for March, 2015

Super Intense UK Thrash metallers Vulgate have just released their single ‘The One Who Knocks’ today for free download on Bandcamp! The band inform us that ‘The One Who Knocks’ is inspired by USA smash hit series ‘Breaking Bad’and features guest vocals from Infected Dead‘s Lou Ede, the single is from their upcoming album ‘Waves’ which is due for release later this year.

Vulgate will be thrashing it out tonight at Flairz Venue Bar in Hastings, East Sussex in celebration of the new release, tonight’s show is being headlined by the awesome Xerath, Doors open 7:30pm. I’m going myself so if you’re going see you there. You can purchase advanced tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/147633

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This version of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ is by a YouTuber called Bely Basate, it’s the most chilled out and relaxed version of this song you could ever imagine, in fact it’s really quite soulfull and inspiring. Even beautiful

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Monomania are an alternative four piece guitar band from Greater Manchester, UK. Rick J Cummings (vox), David Verner (drums), Lewis James (bass) and Tim Beckett (keys/production). Monomania’s first self funded demo ‘What Next EP’ was aired by legendary Radio One DJ John Peel. A single release on cult Ugly Man Records label followed, the very same label that launched Elbow and I Am Kloot nonetheless. This single went on to be the ‘X-posure Big One single of the week’ on the John Kennedy XFM radio show in London. Prior to the formation of Monomania’s frontman Rick Cummings also released a single with ‘Thrush Puppies’ for the Detox 4AD label. Thrush Puppies recorded a Peel session on 8 November 1994. David Verner (drums) was a member of British indie rock group Easterhouse. They counted the Smith’s frontman Morrissey amongst their biggest of fans. Easterhouse recorded two studio albums which were both released on the much loved Rough Trade Records label. David played with Damon Gough the indie singer songwriter better known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy.

Metal Empire: Would you care to introduce yourself for our audience? What is your name and what do you do?

Monomania: We are Monomania, a four piece alternative rock band from Greater Manchester and the Borough of Macclesfield, UK.

Metal Empire: What is the band up to at the moment? Is there something you’re working on currently?

Monomania: We are currently spending most of our time in the studio. We are recording a single and tracks for our debut album at the moment.

Metal Empire: Tell us about the music you make, how would you describe your sound?

Monomania: Our musical genre would most likely come under the alternative / indie umbrella. We have never been drawn into current musical trends or fashion. We make the music that turns us on and that brings the best out of us as musicians.

Metal Empire: Can you talk about your production process? How do you go about writing new material?

Monomania: We bring in a shell of a song with basic parts, lyrics and melodies in place. A bit like a an artist with a rough outline sketch. Then we work on structures, extra parts and it develops organically from there.

Metal Empire: What and who are some of your major influences? Please give a few details about what you enjoy about creating music and what inspires you to make it.

Monomania: Having grown up in and around Manchester/Macclesfield there are obviously a lot of fantastic local band whom have gone onto become world renowned artists. The likes of The Fall, Joy Division, Dub Sex have been great inspirations. I don’t think it’s necessarily always about their music but their ethos and passion for music. This shines through and there is an integrity and honesty in the music. This is something we have. We are four working musicians in a room making music that is real, unforced and from the heart. We have never tried to be a part of any local music scenes, cliques or movements.

Metal Empire: What’s your favourite thing about playing live?

Monomania: When new people hear our music for the first time and enjoy it. That is always a buzz.

Metal Empire: Have you played any shows or toured alongside any major artists? Are there any shows that come to mind that you feel make a great story? If so, tell us about it.

Monomania: In the past we have all supported some great bands such as The Fall, The Chameleons. David out drummer was the drummer with Easterhouse and Badly Drawn Boy and he has plenty of Rock n Roll stories to tell.

Metal Empire: Is there any band or artist you would give anything to play a show with? If so, who are they and why?

Monomania: We would love to play gigs with bands with a similar audience. Pure music fans. Those music lovers who like real music made by real musicians. Off the top of my head the Stranglers, Wire, PJ Harvey, Dub Sex.

Metal Empire: What are you hopes for the future? Where do you see yourself as an artist this time next year or the year after?

Monomania: This time next year we will have our album out the for public consumption and we will be out there gigging and working towards our second album. I can’t see there being any shortage of new material as we are all writers in our own right so we are constantly coming up with new ideas.

Metal Empire: If I was to turn up at a show, what should I expect from you in terms of music and showmanship? Is there any crazy stuff you do to pull the crowd?

Monomania: Showmanship isn’t really a word I would use to describe Monomania’s on stage vibe. We are intense, brooding and tight. We rely on our music, songs and playing to do all the talking. No gimmicks just strong lyrics, good hooks and infectious songs.

Metal Empire: What do you think about music piracy, do you think it effects music sales negatively, or do you think there is another cause behind the current drop in record sales?

Monomania: The music word has changed forever due to piracy. Most musicians I speak to these days think that the only money in music is in touring. We are not actually in music to make millions. We are in music to create great art and if people listen and enjoy the music as much as we do then that is a bonus but not a must.

Metal Empire: There is a lot of talk about the downfall of the music industry as a whole, do you believe this is the case, or do you believe it is evolving? What do you feel could improve the situation?

Monomania: Evolving, but confused. Things have moved so fast and I think the industry needs time to re-group and re-think things. Only time will tell but I think the music industry will find a way to make it work again.

Metal Empire: Do you receive much fan mail, and if so what’s the craziest, creepiest or coolest thing you’ve ever gotten from a fan?

Monomania: We are not really a fan mail type band. We do receive nice emails, compliments online and face to face though.

Metal Empire: Name one thing you love, one thing you hate and one thing you think everyone should try at least once before they die?

Monomania: We love our families and friends, we hate liars and we think everyone should free thinking at least once before they die.

Metal Empire: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us about what you do. Do you have any final words, or anything you would like to add?

Monomania: Thank you for your time and keep your eyes peeled for future Monomania releases and gigs. We look forward to seeing plenty of new faces at our gigs in future. www.facebook.com/monomaniaUK

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Ravages Of Time, or R.O.T, as the fans like to call them, have been tearing up the stages of the Pacific Northwest with no plans on stopping there. This Metal/Rock band currently uses every available venue that they can get their hands on. Their off stage antics between each other and fans does not stop until they hit that stage, and that is even questionable. To find out more about these guys, catch them at one of their up coming shows.

Metal Empire: Would you care to introduce yourself for your audience? What is your name and what do you do?

Ravages of Time:

Mick: We are Ravages of Time.

Ticker: We play Rot N’ Roll

Cody: I do mind, but I’ll tell you anyway. My name is Cody Sins, I play guitar.

Mick: Mick Sins, I play the drums and I don’t sing.

Ticker: Ticker Twizted. I sing and I play keyboard.

Hell Mutt: I’m Hell Mutt; I play bass and sometimes do backup vocals.

Metal Empire: What is the band up to at the moment? Is there something you’re working on currently?

Ravages of Time:

Mick: Yes, we are. We are working on a new album.

Cody: 4 songs from being done

Mick: The name of the new album will be called “Faith of the Fallen”

Ticker: The idea came from Hell Mutt, who had a song called one thing and he tried to suggest another name for it. I disagreed but I realized that the name he came up with was really f***ing tight and I figured it could actually be a bigger thing, like the name of an album and our look for the next album that we’re going for and these guys liked it and we all agreed on it.

Mick: We are also working with Momma Lynn Management on a CD.

Hell Mutt: It’s a compilation CD; it’s got 16 different bands on it. They’re all local and it’s called “One Take: Pacific Northwest”

Mick: Momma Lynn has hand chosen 16 local bands that he felt would be really good for this album. One of the songs that are on there that we are featuring is called “Valley of the Dead” which will also be on our up and coming CD.

Metal Empire: Tell us about the music you make, how would you describe your sound?

Ravages of Time:

Cody: I don’t really know how to describe the music we make.

Mick: We could classify it as hard rock, metal. And I don’t know, we all have different influences.

Ticker: Oh yeah, different. Like I’m all into that darker stuff… and Hell Mutt here.

Hell Mutt: I listen to everything. I mean literally.

Mick: No, Hell Mutt’s more into like, the 60’s.

Hell Mutt: No I do tend to lean more towards the classic rock, like Steve Miller and stuff like that.

Cody: I’m much more of a Hank Williams, Michael Jackson, Wiz Khalifa kind of guy.

Mick: No he’s not, he’s lying.

Metal Empire: Can you talk about your production process? How do you go about writing new material?

Ravages of Time:

Mick: That’s a good question. No, that’s a very good question. Sometimes it starts with Tick just having lyrics and we just come up with something right out of the blue. Other times it’ll be a riff that Cody may come up with, or sometimes like one of our songs “Gypsies and Gunslingers” started out with a beat I just came up with.

Ticker: Or sometimes one of us will just have an idea, other than me with lyrics, like Mick wrote a song that was “All the Above” from the last album. And sometimes we all separately have this idea and we run it by each other.

Mick: I can say this: If all four of us aren’t feeling it, the music won’t continue. We’ve come up with a billion things and scrapped a billion things, but if all four of us are not feeling it, we do not continue with it.

Ticker: There have been times when I like a song, but the three of them didn’t, so I had to just let it go. We used to have 5 members, and it made it a lot easier to do this thing we did where we had a majority vote. That way there was no bitching. But now, I mean we still kind of do a majority vote, but sometimes it’s a tie.

Metal Empire: What and who are some of your major influences? Please give a few details about what you enjoy about creating music and what inspires you to make it.

Ravages of Time:

Ticker: Alright, Cody Khalifa you start.

Cody: Oh, my influences range, big time. They’re all over the place.

Mick: My influences are Motley Crue, Metallica, uh Ozzy Osbourne. I don’t know, I’m old 80’s. So I grew up with all that 80’s rock and metal. That’s a big part of my life. Cody grew up listening to all that stuff, then he moved on. Now he’s actually got me listening to all the newer stuff, which I love. Like, Avenged Sevenfold.

Mick: Yeah, there’s nothing better, I feel personally, than being able to create something, take it to the people, and just see their reactions.

Ticker: Because you get an idea for a while of what, even though we write music that we come up with and we love, we still try to think about the presentation of it and kind of throw some hooks in there and make it really cool.

Mick: Well I know how I feel when I hear a song and when I used to go to concerts and stuff. The song would come out and you’re just like, raging, I mean you’re just overboard with it. You hear the song and you’re just like “AH” and when we’re creating music, I try to envision that. Ya know, like how are the people gonna react. And when you actually get up there and see them, and they’re reacting the same way you did when you were out there in the audience, there ain’t no better feeling than that.

Ticker: And we work like that, that kind of gives us an idea of what to throw in there as we’re creating both the experience of when you go, like he said, and yeah.

Cody: Writing something that connects with somebody else.

Mick: I’ll never forget, we were down in Portland and a gal came up to me and she goes “I wanna thank you.” And I said “for what?” she goes “I’ve listened to country music my whole entire life and I never knew I liked rock n’ roll until I heard you guys. That is what I’m talking about. That was awesome; that made my whole entire night.

Ticker: And it happens a lot. A lot of older people come up to us and we get that a lot. We hear “we weren’t into that at all until we heard you” and we also hear “when we saw you guys, we weren’t expecting that” That’s my favorite.

Metal Empire: What’s your favourite thing about playing live?

Ravages of Time:

Hell Mutt: The energy from the audience.

Cody: Being able to perform for the people.

Mick: Seeing their reactions.

Hell Mutt: There’s something about when you get on stage, if you got the energy and you’re feeding it to the crowd and the crowd is feeding it back to you and it creates this thing, like a euphoric state.

Mick: Unless you’ve been there, it’s hard to explain. It’s like this magical force that goes out to the audience and they feel it and then all of a sudden they bring it right back at ya. There’s times when we’ve been on stage and I’ll be sitting there playing and it’s like “okay, eh, I’m kinda into it” and then you just feel it hit.

Ticker: Yeah, you feed and it’s like, really addicting. We are on break right now, doing what we’re doing, and we’re all getting really itchy and it’s like, I feel like I’m having withdrawals.

Hell Mutt: It’s the best feeling in the world.

Ticker: It is. There’s not another feeling like it. It just feels surreal. It’s like a dream when you’re up there, and it’s all going good. There’s a bond that we get like, aside from any problems you’ve ever had with any of your band members; when you’re up there on that stage, we’re all the same person and we forget about the world and we’re just up there entertaining you and it is orgasmic.

Metal Empire: Have you played any shows or toured alongside any major artists? Are there any shows that come to mind that you feel make a great story? If so, tell us about it.

Ravages of Time:

Mick: We have not toured alongside any major artists, but we have, however, played with The Hollywood Allstars, and that has…

Mick: Green Jello, we played with Green Jello, Uli Jon Roth from The Scorpions.

Cody: We played with Lesli Sanders from Prophets of Addictions

Ticker: Who was originally from a band called Pretty Boy Floyd, which was actually pretty big.

Cody: We played alongside with Ty McDonald from Fall from Grace.

Metal Empire: Is there any band or artist you would give anything to play a show with? If so, who are they and why?

Ravages of Time:

Mick: I would give Tickers left testicle to play with Motley Crue.

Ticker: I’d let him, too.

Mick: I’d give Hell Mutts right testicle to play with Avenged Sevenfold.

Cody: I’d love to play with Slipknot.

Ticker: Oh God, I’d love to play with Slipknot. That would be a sick show

Metal Empire: What are your hopes for the future? Where do you see yourself as an artist this time next year or the year after?

Ravages of Time:

Ticker: Famous.

Hell Mutt: Playing bass, for Cher….

Cody: I hope to be seeing ourselves sharing our music with millions of people across the world

Ticker: Sharing the stage with the people we just mentioned that we’d love to play with.

Mick: Touring. Definitely touring would be nice.

Metal Empire: If I was to turn up at a show, what should I expect from you in terms of music and showmanship? Is there any crazy stuff you do to pull the crowd?

Ravages of Time:

Cody: We’re active. We do not stop moving from the time we get on the stage and start performing the first song, we don’t stop moving until the very last song.

Mick: The thing I hear a lot is energy. It just draws the people in. I wouldn’t say that there in particular that we try to do that draws an audience, other than getting up there and putting on a show! Have a good time, rock that f***ing stage, rock the f***ing people and just go bonkers.

Metal Empire: What do you think about music piracy, do you think it effects music sales negatively, or do you think there is another cause behind the current drop in record sales?

Ravages of Time:

Hell Mutt: I think that piracy has something to do with the drop in sales in the music industry. But I don’t think it’s just that, I think it also has to do with it being an instant access world out there now with the internet and Facebook and Reverb Nation and YouTube and all of that.

Mick: It’s become a fast food industry.

Hell Mutt: Yeah, and all you really need nowadays, almost, is a vocoder and a beat generator and the next thing you know you’ve got 5 million hits on YouTube and you’re sucking Justin Biebers dick or something like that. It’s harder nowadays for a band to get exposure, although, at the same time it shouldn’t be. But if you’re just doing it like we do, in the trenches and out in the bars and stuff, then it’s a little more difficult. But ya know, back to the music industry thing, I think the piracy thing has had a negative effect on it but I don’t think it’s the only thing that has effected the music industry negatively. Again, I think it’s more because of the fast food industry; technology has just changed so much in the last 20 years.

Metal Empire: There is a lot of talk about the downfall of the music industry as a whole, do you believe this is the case, or do you believe it is evolving? What do you feel could improve the situation?

Ravages of Time:

Ticker: I think both. I think there’s new stuff, which is making it evolve, but just like the last question kinda, it’s got its pros and cons. We have computers that share and drop box and all that, so clearly it’s literally evolving.

Hell Mutt: This goes back to the fast food thing, it’s almost like the flash in the pan is becoming more of a norm than the exception to the rule. It’s harder to sell albums. People supporting local music is a big part of it, and it’s harder for that to happen nowadays because of all the restrictive laws that scare people and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the DUI laws, that’s not what I’m saying, it’s just that scares people and makes them less apt to go out to bars and drink like they used to back in the old days.

Mick: Here in Washington State, there’s a shortage of all age venues, and that really really sucks bad because these kids have got nowhere to go, nothing to do, and the kids are the ones that we originally started playing for and we still do, but because there’s no all age venue so we’re playing for all these adults. That’s not a problem, that’s cool.

Hell Mutt: There’s only been one really cool all age venue that we’ve played at and that’s Louie G’s down in Fife

Cody: One benefit to playing for adults is that I’ve noticed that they’ve got their kids into our music too, which is amazing.

Ticker: Since people do stay home and you can’t force them to go out, I thought it’d be really cool if venues were able to do kinda what Hot Rocks did, where every venue would have a live feed. So yes, it is evolving, and that’s about the only real way. If people could either show up more or find the effort to go to the shows more and experience what they’re not experiencing just listening to it or setting up live feed from the place. Those are some ideas.

Metal Empire: Do you receive much fan mail, and if so what’s the craziest, creepiest or coolest thing you’ve ever gotten from a fan?

Ravages of Time:

Mick: We get emails, yeah. We do get fan mail. We’ve never received anything crazy as far as fan mail. As far as getting stuff from fans, Ticker got this leather jacket that this guy had spent years creating. I had a fan give me a spankin new symbol. He found out the kind of symbols I liked and got me a brand new symbol. Hell Mutt’s gotten Snickerdoodle bread.

Cody: I’ve been given a mass amount of heroin.

Ticker: Weed! We’ve been given a lot of weed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been offered to do coke, even though I don’t.

Mick: Oh, Tom gets lots of blowjobs.

Cody: From both sides of the party

Metal Empire: Name one thing you love, one thing you hate and one thing you think everyone should try at least once before they die?

Ravages of Time:

Cody: I love sex, I hate drama, and one thing I think you should try before you die is whatever the hell you want to try. You should go out and do whatever the hell you wanna do with your life before you die.

Mick: One thing I love is my family, my whole entire family. If they’re in my circle, I love them. One thing I hate is drama, I f***ing can’t stand drama, myself.

Ticker: Something I love… I don’t know man, that’s a tough one, just because I don’t want to leave anything out. I love the supernatural sh*t. I’m obsessed with paranormal. I hate hypocrites. I think people should, at least once in their life, try the thing that they really wanna do.

Metal Empire: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us about what you do. Do you have any final words, or anything you would like to add?

Ravages of Time:

Cody: If you’re new to us, check us out. You won’t regret it.

Ticker: We appreciate all the dedication and patience, if it wasn’t for you guys we wouldn’t be where we are today. Make sure you check out our video game. It already has 50 downloads! Check out our ridiculous cartoon too, on our YouTube. Rot N’ Roll

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Chris Caldwell is the lead guitarist of Celtic Punk Rock Band: From Under The Stone. He’s actually a bit of a demon with the old shredding if you watch the video posted down below. Formed in 2011 From Under The Stone say very little on their Facebook page about who they are or what they do. They just leave us with the very short description: “Our answer the to question, “Where the hell did you come from?” The bastard child of Seven Deadly Grins, Inspected By 40, and Censless is here to blow a little wind up ye kilts!” Fair enough, I say. I have no idea what they’re on about, but it sounds fun and I’m interested.

So Metal Empire caught up with Chris to have a chat as it was his birthday recently we wanted to surprise him with a cool interview.

Chris Caldwell Interview:

Metal Empire: Would you care to introduce yourself for our audience? What is your name and what do you do?

Chris Caldwell: My name is Chris Caldwell and I am a Supply Chain/Finance Professional in the Oil & Gas Industry here in Canada. I currently play in a Celtic punk band known as From Under the Stone

Metal Empire: What is the band up to at the moment? Is there something you’re working on currently?

Chris Caldwell: Currently our band has gotten our new guitar player up to speed. We are now in the process of booking gigs in the Alberta area as well as planning to record in the studio in the next coming months. We plan on recording a 4-5 song EP to begin with. We originally recorded an EP a year ago at a local Calgary Studio however the recording quality was quite disappointing so we decided to re-record these songs and others for a new album. I am also working on a solo project. This album is going to be off the wall with all kinds of genres and styles. The cool thing is that it will be very guitar virtuoso oriented. It has speed metal, neo-classical cacophony type stuff as well as David Gilmore and Stevie inspired blues tunes. It’s kinda all over the wall, something like a Satch album. I hope to bust out some of my best guitar tricks and licks on this album.

“he would say things like how he wanted to rub our feet and smell our sweat….creepy”

Metal Empire: Tell us about the music you make, how would you describe your sound?

Chris Caldwell: I make all kinds of music. In my current band From Under the Stone the music is extremely Celtic influenced. I am very much inspired from Classical Celtic music as well as modern day Metal Folk Bands such as Ensiferum, Korpiklaani & Eluveitie. I have played in Swing bands, Be-bop, funk, ska, blues and many other types of bands although I am definitely into more guitar oriented material.

Metal Empire: I hear you have a rather large selection of guitars, can you tell us which ones are your favorite and why?

Chris Caldwell: I do have a number of guitars and basses. Currently I own 25 guitars. My favorites include my Stevie Ray Vaughan Strat, My Tokai Les Paul with EMGs and my Yamaha Acoustic Electric. The SRV No. 1 is one of the original product lines built back in 92. This thing is well broken in and is a blues machine. For massive sounds of destruction the Tokai Les Paul is a beast. Tokai makes excellent Paul Copies. The quality is just as good as Gibson but you are paying a third of a price. This thing feels and plays just like a Paul so you know you can do some damage. It is also extremely diverse even with the Active EMGs boosting the signal. As for my Acoustic, I love playing it since you can take it anywhere and have a great song writing tool. It especially comes in handing for writing folk like riffs.

Metal Empire: You’re current band is Scottish punk and you all wear kilts on stage; it’s an interesting sounding project how did it come about?

Chris Caldwell: This project was inspired by several of my musician friends. One I had played in a previous thrash metal band with while others I had very much played around with in the Calgary music scene. The idea was to get into a band and play in instrument that you do not normally play. Since I was always a guitar guy in bands I ended up taking up both the Mandolin and Upright Bass. Our Bagpipe Player was a drummer, and our drummer was a bass player. This allowed me to very much grow as a musician and expand my horizons. Being a guitar player helped set the ground work for helping me to learn other instruments.

Metal Empire: Can you talk about your production process? How do you go about writing new material?

Chris Caldwell: We actually do have a very productive process that involves us typically writing material first on acoustic instruments. We gather all around a pool table and start bellowing out riffs.

Metal Empire: What and who are some of your major influences? Please give a few details about what you enjoy about creating music and what inspires you to make it.

Chris Caldwell: I have quite a few influences. On the heavier side I got into the original trash bands (Metallica, Slayer & Megadeth) as well as Ozzy and BLS. I also got very much into blues when I was younger listening to SRV, Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy and so forth. Once my technique improved I got heavier into the Shred side learning Satch, Vai, Malmsteen, Eric Johnson and so forth. About 10 years ago I very much started to get into Scandinavian

Metal Empire: What’s your favourite thing about playing live?

Chris Caldwell: The energy I get from playing music in front of a crowd. I love trying to be as energetic as I possibly can.

Metal Empire: Is there any band or artist you would give anything to play a show with? If so, who are they and why?

Chris Caldwell: I would love to open for some old school metal bands such as Sabbath or Slayer, which would be the bomb! It would be pretty cool to open up for somebody to like Clapton or BB king or SRV (if he were still alive). For my band right now I would certainly love to open for some local Canadian talent out of Vancouver- The Real MaKenzines

Metal Empire: What are you hopes for the future? Where do you see yourself as an artist this time next year or the year after?

Chris Caldwell: I hope to complete my solo album as well as my new album with my band and complete a cross Canada tour.

Metal Empire: If I was to turn up at a show, what should I expect from you in terms of music and showmanship? Is there any crazy stuff you do to pull the crowd?

Chris Caldwell: I am one of those guys that love to pull guitar tricks. Have you ever watched the G3 tour in Denver? I like doing all those crazy kinds of things that both Vai and Malmsteen pull off. Pretty cool stuff.

Metal Empire: What do you think about music piracy, do you think it effects music sales negatively, or do you think there is another cause behind the current drop in record sales?Chris Caldwell: To be honest I have pirated music myself. For big famous bands that make millions I don’t care too much but I do feel bad about the smaller guys. When I do pirate their music I end up buying the album anyway out of respect. It is unfortunate that record sales have dropped but it’s a fact of life. At least the big record executives are not taking their major share of the profits like they have before. Even big artists made a small amount off their records.

“This is this desire now to have the “perfect” recording.”

Metal Empire: There is a lot of talk about the downfall of the music industry as a whole, do you believe this is the case, or do you believe it is evolving? What do you feel could improve the situation?

Chris Caldwell: I think there are 2 sides to the coin. I certainly do believe there is a downfall in music in terms of the mass production and editing of music. The raw tone that made acts like AC/DC, The Stones, Iron Maiden, Priest and lots of old school metal famous has disappeared. This is this desire now to have the “perfect” recording. I think it’s awesome how things have improved technology wise but a lot of genuine sounds have been stripped from the music. So what if a guy isn’t quite in tune, Jimi nor Bob Dylan were, and I would not have it any other way.

In terms of genres such as metal things are incredibly awesome today. You have so many wide types of sub-genres with 10’s of thousands of bands that are all playing. It’s pretty awesome from that perspective and I would not change anything. Unfortunately it is not as easy to become a rock star in the past. You don’t need to just have talent but the ability to get through all the other bands out there.

Metal Empire: Do you receive much fan mail, and if so what’s the craziest, creepiest or coolest thing you’ve ever gotten from a fan?

Chris Caldwell: The creepiest thing we had was this old bald guy in his 60s that would send us emails and come to our shows. He was a very peculiar man and gave off a creepy nature (in his emails he would say things like how he wanted to rub our feet and smell our sweat….creepy). On a cooler note we have had chicks send in pictures of themselves topless on several occasions!

Metal Empire: Name one thing you love, one thing you hate and one thing you think everyone should try at least once before they die?

Chris Caldwell: I love dogs. One thing I hate is people without common sense (which is far too many) and everyone should at least try a Donair once. Those are mighty tasty!

Metal Empire: If you could have one wish, what would it be and why?

Chris Caldwell: To be able to make a modes living off of playing and recording music. To be able not to have a day job and just rock out 24/7 365 days a year. To have my music heard across the globe and to be able to write a song as good as one of the greats!

Metal Empire: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us about what you do. Do you have any final words, or anything you would like to add?

Chris Caldwell: I just wanted to say thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to you in this interview. It is well appreciated. Chris.

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Sarantos, one of our favourite pop artists here at HypeFeeder is back with his brand new single “A Child’s Mind” which has a fantastic new music video. We can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us after this one.

Video Description:
Sarantos releases a brand new music video for “A Child’s Mind” remembering the innocent childhood of an immigrant boy.

Immigrants routinely flocked from Europe to America in the 1950s-70s in search of a better life. America was the land of opportunity and they pursued their dreams! Their story was a common one. Immigrants would seek shelter here and work hard, focus on their family and ultimately try to give their children a better life. Routinely, there was obvious discrimination and bias. While learning a new language was difficult, most managed to adapt to the United States culture and fit in, eventually learning the customs and language of their newly adopted home.

Even today, there are still many immigrants from all over the world such as Mexico, Europe and Asia who long to make the United States their new home. Sarantos new music video portrays the tale of an immigrant mom and son who travelled to the US and the son ultimately became successful and a doctor. Reminiscing about his homeland & mother and remembering the innocence of childhood years along with old friends makes for quite a compelling music video. The song fits perfectly and the story touches on many emotions to reveal yet again that Sarantos is not interested in making music videos without substance.

“This music video is about immigrants and the challenges they encounter every day,” says Sarantos. “Can you imagine leaving the comforts of your homeland and moving by yourself or with a spouse or child to go to a foreign land, not knowing the language and not having any money in your pockets? I can’t even imagine something that drastic! My parents were both immigrants and I recall the bias against them. They worked hard, bothered no one and only cared about helping me live a better life. Is there a cause more just or noble? America is still the land of opportunity. I have such a profound level of respect and admiration for any and all immigrants who legally try to make America their adopted home!”

33% of any music-related sales profits from this song are going straight to Feed My Starving Children.

Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and they ship these meals to nearly 70 countries around the world. Sarantos even participated in one of these packing sessions on a cold Chicago night last month!

Most people remember their childhood fondly. It is a simple time in one’s life when there are no limits. Imagine and remember a time when the days were care-free. The nights were full of stars and mystery. One’s imagination ran wild at the slightest provocation. Childhood is a time usually spent growing up while learning within the comfort of one’s family. However, not everyone has that chance. Some children grow up in abusive environments. Some children grow up without enough food and are often hungry or malnourished. That is an injustice.

Lyrics:

A Child’s Mind

Intro

Help me
Please shelter me

Verse 1

As a child, I was so young & free
I felt so confident as you carried me
You held me so close & always believed
You instilled in me a sense of purpose & destiny

The world is black & white, as seen thru the eyes of a child
Innocence so pure it lasted for a while
I miss the day, the calm you let me feel
You always believed in me & made everything so real

Chorus 1

I miss being a child
I miss feeling a bit wild
No care in the world for me
A child’s mind open for all to see

A child’s mind is so young & free
A child will always believe
A child’s mind once belonged
To you and me

Verse 2

The years have passed on
Many days have come and gone
My intentions once good
My actions now sometimes wrong

Once wide eyed & full of spunk
Now so negative & always drunk
Lost looking in the rain
For that child-like innocence again

Chorus 2

I miss being a child
I miss feeling a bit wild
No care in the world for me
A child’s mind open for all to see

A child’s mind is so young & free
A child will always believe
A child’s mind once belonged
To you and me

Instrumental

Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh

Looking thru the eyes of a child
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh
Wish I could do it all the time
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh
Looking thru the eyes of a child
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh
The world can be so kind
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh

Looking thru the eyes of a child
Aaahhhh, Ooohhhh

Chorus 3

I miss being a child
I miss feeling a bit wild
No care in the world for me
A child’s mind open for all to see

A child’s mind is so young & free
A child will always believe
A child’s mind once belonged
To you and me

Ending

(A child’s mind)
A child doesn’t know how to lie
(A child’s mind)
It used to be mine…

“In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him,” Finlay said. “As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirise this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.”

The author died at his home “with his cat sleeping on his bed, surrounded by his family” on Thursday, said Finlay.